SHEFEX II spacecraft during re-entry (artist's impression)

During re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of between 100 and 20 kilometres, the nose cone of SHEFEX II will reach extremely high temperatures at speeds of almost three kilometres per second. The canard control system developed by DLR researchers must withstand this and bring the vehicle back to Earth in a controlled manner.

The artist's impression shows the vehicle during re-entry. The canard module for the new steering system is in the front section of the research rocket, just behind the nosecone.